About the High School Huddle

Welcome to the Citizen-Times' constantly-updated blog for Western North Carolina high school sports. Features include breaking news, scores and stats, college recruiting updates and live blogs from some of the marquee games in WNC. Readers are encouraged to comment on posts, but personal attacks on current athletes, coaches and their families will not be tolerated and are subject to edit or removal at the moderator's discretion.

Roberson’s Connor Lind has committed to play college baseball for Northwestern.

Connor Lind was looking for a college which could fulfill him from an athletic and academic standpoint.

As a result, one of the top rising seniors for the Roberson baseball team feels like he hit a home run by committing to Northwestern.

“It’s the perfect school for me,” Lind said.

“I’ve been searching a long time for a place like Northwestern in the recruiting process. I’m excited about it. I have some high goals and feel like this is the perfect place for me. Big Ten (Conference), big city, I have family (in the Chicago area), too.”

Lind said that Boston College, Indiana, Furman and Campbell were among the other schools he considered.

Lind was an All-Mountain Athletic Conference third baseman for the MAC 4-A champion Rams (21-10) this spring. He batted .341 with 20 RBIs and 23 runs scored.

It was Lind who gloved a grounder and threw to first base to record the final out of a 6-4 win over eventual state champion South Mecklenburg in Game 2 of the 4-A Western Regional series.

Roberson lost that best-of-five series, two games to one, but has already been named one of the country’s top-10 teams for 2014 by national website MaxPreps.

“We’re going to be a really close group and everyone is excited to try and top what we did this year,” Lind said.

“We’re just going to play ball, have fun and live out this last year the best we can.”

MARIETTA, Ga. – The Dulin Dodgers decided this was their year to dominate the WWBA National Championships. The Dodger’s 15u team won the WWBA 15u National Championship two weeks ago, and their 18u team won the WWBA 18u National Championship that took place last week. Now the 17u team is on the path to bring home a third championship in a row for the Dulin Dodgers organization.

The Dodger’s came out victorious in their game against SBA Canes on Thursday morning, advancing them to the next round of playoffs along with seven other teams.

“Well the core group (of this team) has been together since the 14s,” explained head coach for the Dodgers Mike Fitzsimmons. “In Perfect Game events they’ve been to the last five national championships either at the BCS or World Wood (Bat Association), and won final four. We’re here trying to represent and take care of business. We’ve knocked on this door enough times we’re looking to go at it and give our best effort.”

North Buncombe rising senior Alex Destino has been selected to the MaxPreps Underclass All-American baseball team.

The left-hander’s fastball has recently been clocked at 92 miles per hour and he was 8-2 as a pitcher this spring for the Mountain Athletic Conference 3-A champion Black Hawks, but Destino made the MaxPreps team as an outfielder:

The following Western North Carolina tackling leaders are expected to return for their teams this football season. Schools which did not turn in their final 2012 statistics to the Citizen-Times are not included.

Roberson’s Connor Lind has committed to play college baseball for Northwestern.

Here is the most up-to-date list of current Western North Carolina athletes who have committed or signed to play college sports. The list includes walk-on athletes. As of today, the list has grown to 241 names. The deadline for members of the Class of 2013 to sign with colleges is Aug. 1. Coaches, parents and athletes, if you know of anyone we have missed, please contact me at apearson@citizen-times.com or 232-5863.

Recent Tuscola graduate Alex Parrott has committed to play college football for Guilford.

Parrott was an All-Western North Carolina Athletic Conference lineman for the Mountaineers (3-8) in 2012 and the second member of their senior class to make a college choice. Defensive back Levi Duffield has accepted a preferred walk-on spot with Appalachian State.

Asheville Post 70 found itself on the wrong end of a seesaw game Thursday.

As a result, the team is on the brink of elimination from the second round of the American Legion state playoffs.

Dustin Jones and Brock Melton each had RBI singles for Shelby Post 82, which rallied for three runs in the top of the ninth inning to take a 13-10 win at Mars Hill College.

Earlier in the day, Shelby put the final touches on a 6-0 shutout in Game 1 of the best-of-five series. That game had been suspended Wednesday night in Cleveland County because of lightning and rain.

Game 3 is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday night at Shelby. If necessary, Game 4 will be played Saturday at Mars Hill at 4:30 p.m. Saturday.

Asheville carried a 10-9 lead into the seventh inning of Thursday’s Game 2 but could not hold it. Post 70 stranded two runners in both the seventh and eighth innings.

Leading hitters were Kyle Ramsey (North Buncombe), who went 4-for-5 with two RBIs and Christian Jewkes (Christ School), who was 2-5 with a home run. Jeff Hutchins (Asheville High) went 2-5 with a double.

Jewkes has signed to play college baseball and football for Limestone (S.C.), while Ramsey is expected to continue his baseball career at Catawba Valley Community College.

Jonathan Johnson (Enka) was the losing pitcher in Game 2. Asheville was outhit, 17-1, in the first eight innings of Game 1 on Wednesday. Hutchins was responsible for the only hit.

With the two playoff losses, Asheville’s record falls to 11-12 for the season.

Post 70 is the only Western North Carolina team left in the Legion playoffs. Haywood County Post 47 and Henderson County Post 77 lost their first-round series earlier this week.

Regardless of how the postseason turns out, this will be the final year for longtime Asheville coach J.D. Hinson. Hinson, who has been with Post 70 since 2000, said in June that he planned to step down at the end of the season.